New Site Evolution Service provides faster and efficient evolution of LTE and 5G site rollouts while assuring leaner, simpler and more sustainable sites

12 June 2018

5G World 2018, London - Nokia is launching new services to help operators prioritize their 5G investments and bring 5G-based services to market faster. Network slicing, cloudification and 5G New Radio technology pose different challenges for operators, and the new networks will require an end-to-end approach to meet the demands of new 5G applications. Nokia is introducing additions to its 5G Acceleration Services, including a disruptive, use case-driven concept - Nokia 5G Digital Design - as well as Cross-Domain Architecture and Site Evolution Services to smooth the rollout of 5G networks. These services will deliver lower total cost of ownership (TCO) and speed up time-to-market by several months.

Nokia 5G Digital Design is a unique, patent-pending concept that will dramatically change the way future networks are designed. Utilizing the Nokia AVA cognitive services platform and machine learning algorithms, it will simulate the impact of 5G use cases on networks. In the future, it will also use digital twin technology* to quickly and accurately show the technological and cost impacts of real-world 5G implementation, and provide automated recommendations for action. This will enable operators to roll out their 5G networks faster, while optimizing CAPEX spending.

Nokia also addresses the detailed deployment considerations of 5G rollouts with new Cross-Domain Architecture and Site Evolution Services. They help translate 5G business plans into clear and concise technical requirements across all domains, regardless of vendor. Cross-Domain Architecture simplifies the complexity of multivendor and legacy networks, providing architecture and design solutions tailored to operator-specific 5G use cases. Comprehensive testing ensures that networks deliver the required latency, throughput and reliability.

Site Evolution Services help operators to evolve their 2G-4G networks to 5G quickly and cost-efficiently, saving both CAPEX and OPEX. Efficiencies are achieved with the reuse of existing site infrastructure and minimizing the number of site changes and visits, and quality is assured with field-proven site solutions tested with Nokia 5G equipment. Nokia's site solutions are designed to maximize sustainability, with energy efficient solutions and renewable energy options. Nokia's Site Evolution Services will leverage automated project management processes, real-time field collaboration and the future use of augmented reality technologies to assist installation and commissioning procedures.

John Delaney, Associate Vice President, European Mobility, IDC, said: "Operators see that 5G can open up new opportunities, but making the business case for investment can be very complex. Help with handling that complexity can contribute significantly to ensuring that 5G networks are developed in the right direction."

Sanjay Goel, President, Global Services at Nokia, said: "5G network evolution is not only about the radio, but the entire cross-domain architecture and how operators can manage it. It's about where to invest first - and how to keep the investments and total cost of ownership under control. Nokia's use case-focused 5G services recognize that operators might initially want to use 5G for different purposes: some to offer consumer services, others focusing more on industrial applications. Leveraging Nokia's artificial intelligence, automation and multivendor expertise can help operators prioritize their investments based on their 5G strategies."

In addition to launching three new services, Nokia is expanding its end-to-end 5G portfolio by introducing full Software Defined Network and virtual private networks capabilities within the Nokia Wavence microwave transmission system. This will enable the creation and dynamic management of separated network slices for user groups in microwave segments in a 5G network.

Visit the Nokia stand #5G450 at 5G World - part of TechXLR8 2018 - at the ExCel London, 12-14 June, to see highlights of Nokia's end-to-end 5G offering.

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* Digital Twins are digital replicas of physical assets, processes and systems that also interact with the real system - with the digital replica mimicking changes as they occur in the actual physical system. The concept has been around for some time now, but it is only thanks to the availability of cloud computing and the resurgence of Artificial Intelligence that it's become cost effective to implement.